


Journalistic Intuition

by petrichorica



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fighting, Go Easy On Me, Loki X OC - Freeform, Loki is also bisexual as hell, Loki is misunderstood, M/M, Multi, Slow Burn, Smut, Thor is the best, also ummm we're just gonna ignore age of ultron bc fuck that mess, dub con if you squint but i'm trying not to write it that way, hulk just launched himself into space completely unprompted, i'm not sure how to tag it but OC is somewhat captive bc Sakaar, if i don't lose patience tbqh, in this house we don't support thorki sorry guys, loki is kind of an ass but isn't he always, oh i almost forgot, p.s. OC is bisexual as hell, previous character death, so is Valkyrie, there will be an orgy at some point fair warning, these tags are in no way organized, this is my first marvel fic so like, ummmm, you know what fuck it everyone is bi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-02-28 04:55:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13264128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petrichorica/pseuds/petrichorica
Summary: Valerie Church doesn't know how she ended up on Sakaar, but she intends to get to the bottom of it and get back to Earth as soon as possible. Loki knows exactly how he ended up on Sakaar, and has no intention of returning to Asgard, or Earth for that matter.





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> HEY GUYs so I've never written a Loki fic before and the last actually long fanfic I wrote was in 2013, so this is gonna be fun! I'm planning for this to be kinda slow burn and angsty, but funny at the same time (??) so this should be fun. I haven't seen any Ragnarok centric oc or reader fics and Ragnarok was hands down my favorite Marvel movie, so that's why I'm writing this I guess. This chapter is mostly just exposition and setup, and Loki probably won't actually show up for a chapter or two, but I promise it'll be worth it! anywaaaays enjoy

In a cramped New York City apartment, a woman sat on her couch, furiously typing on her laptop. The rain on the window tapped out a feverish rhythm, matching the woman’s intensity. She paused to take a sip of coffee, and drained the remainder of her mug. Somewhere in the apartment, a phone rang.

The woman sprang out of her perch on the couch to catch the phone. She pressed talk and rested it between her cheek and shoulder, going for another cup of coffee while she was up.

“Valerie Church, how can I help you?” She huffed out.

“Goddamnit Val, you said you’d have that article to me three hours ago! I can’t get you published in the New York Post if I don’t have anything to give them!” The voice on the phone shouted.

“Shit, I’m sorry Nick, I’m almost done with it. Something unexpected came up, but I promise you, this article is my sole priority right now. I’ll have it to you within the hour.” Valerie sighed and walked back to her laptop.

“I really don’t understand why you had to go rogue. You had a good job, and writing freelance never works out for anyone.” Nick said. Valerie closed her eyes in frustration.

“You know damn well why, Nick. This was my decision, and you may not agree with it, but it’s my life to screw up. You know I appreciate you getting my articles published, but I’m not going back to Newsday. I left to find the truth by myself.” She said. Nick sighed over the phone. 

“Just get that article to me soon, okay?” He said. Valerie assured him, and hung up the phone. She slammed the phone down on her coffee table, and ran her hands through her hair, resting them on the nape of her neck. She took a few deep breaths, then settled back into her rapidly paced pattern.

\--

A little under an hour later, Valerie finally pressed the send button. She collapsed back on her couch, letting out a breath she was unaware she’d been holding the whole time. By the morning, her expose on the long-term effects of the New York Incident would run in one of New York’s major newspapers. Valerie was proud of herself, however grueling her job may be.

She pulled herself off the couch and walked into her bedroom. She was about to change into pajamas and go to bed when her cell phone buzzed. She picked it up and opened the message.

It was from an unknown number. She read the message quickly, and almost dropped her phone. The message’s contents threw Valerie into a frenzy. She flew around her room, pulling on a trench coat and boots, and shoving her equipment into a messenger bag. She grabbed her phone, shoving it in her pocket, and practically sprinted out the door. 

She ran down the stairs of her apartment building, and didn’t stop running until she was a block and a half away and seated on the subway train. She sighed impatiently, bouncing her leg slightly. A man across the train from her smiled at her and made a crude gesture, but she didn’t dignify it with a response. As much as she hated it and normally took pleasure in cursing these types of men out or embarrassing them, she had more important things on her mind.

A few stops later, Valerie finally arrived at her destination. She almost tripped over herself sprinting up the stairs, and she began running down the street. As she ran, she pulled out her phone, and dialed a number. After a few rings, they picked up.

“Mitchell, are you there? Listen, I just got a text, I think he’s coming tonight. Gather everyone, I need to make sure they’re safe.” Valerie urged. 

“Are you almost here?” The voice on the end of the phone asked. Valerie stopped in her tracks. She didn’t recognize the voice on the other end.

“Who the hell is this, where is Mitchell!” Valerie yelled into the phone, panicked. The voice never answered. Valerie began to run again, growing more and more distressed. She ran into a familiar alley, and stopped. It was empty. It was never empty. The New York homeless population couldn’t have just disappeared overnight. 

Valerie whipped around, desperate to see anyone, desperate to find something. She turned in circles, frantic, unsure of where to look. She heard the clicks of a machine behind her, and she turned to face it, but was blinded with a blue light. Disoriented, she threw her hands in front of her face. The light grew brighter, and just as instinct kicked in and she began to turn and run, everything went black. 

\--

Valerie groaned, her eyes still closed. She rubbed a hand over her eyes, refusing to open them just yet. She heard a loud beeping, and flung an arm towards her alarm clock, and froze when her hand landed on something unfamiliar. She slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the brightness of her surroundings. She blinked a few times, then fully opened them. In front of her was a seemingly endless mountain of trash.

Valerie scrambled to her feet as best she could. She surveyed her surroundings, panic setting in. She looked up at the sky.

“What the fuck.” She dropped to the ground, staring at the three moons visible above her. “Oh my god. Oh my god. What the fuck?!” She curled into herself, burying her face in her knees. She stayed like that for a few minutes, refusing to acknowledge the world around her. The loud noises of a ship landing broke her trance. She looked up from her lap to see a spaceship, a goddamn spaceship, landing in front of her. Three people walked out. They wore strange clothing, and had paint on their faces. One of them had blue skin. Valerie looked up to the sky, as if to say, could it get any fucking weirder?

“Are you a fighter, or are you food?” One of them spoke up, walking towards her. Valerie scrambled to her feet. Behind the one advancing on her, she could see the other two were holding weapons and some kind of net.

“Okay, just hold on, I’m not here to cause trouble, I just need to get back home.” Valerie said. She put her hands up to show she meant no harm. The front one flashed a toothy grin.

“Food it is.” They stalked towards her, weapons firing up. She walked backwards, eyes wide with terror, and tripped on something. She looked down briefly, and noticed she’d tripped over a huge… gun thing. Valerie picked it up and pointed it at the trio of aliens determined to eat her, and they laughed at her.

“Look Ravu, she thinks she can beat us!” The blue alien gestured towards her, and the front alien laughed. They stalked forward, and Valerie desperately tried to figure out how to fire the huge piece of machinery. Just as she was sure she was done for, another ship approached and landed ungracefully on the garbage pile behind her. The front of the ship opened, and a platform extended to the ground behind her. Loud music pounded inside, and it almost reminded Val of the heavy metal her neighbors would play. She scrambled out of the way.

A woman sauntered down the platform, gun in one hand and bottle in the other. She had white paint in a pattern over her dark eyes, and her hair was braided up into some kind of warrior hairstyle. She drained the bottle and tossed it over her shoulder. Valerie figured this woman was not someone to fuck with.

“I’ll be taking her for the Grandmaster.” She said, looking past you to who you understood was Ravu and the two other aliens. 

“We were here first! Go find another one, she’s ours.” Ravu shouted, hands gripping his gun.

“Well, she’s got a gun and you’ve failed to capture her so far, so I don’t see anything to suggest she’s yours at all.” The woman laughed, and Ravu began to protest. “Don’t you remember last time you tried to beat me?” She pointed her gun at him. Ravu touched the large scar running across his face that you had just noticed yourself. 

“Asgardian scum!” He yelled at her, turning away. He scurried back into his ship and the other two followed. Valerie sighed in relief.

“Thank you so much, I thought they were gonna eat me.” Valerie thanked the woman, dropping the gun. 

“Don’t thank me yet, sweetheart.” She laughed darkly. Valerie paled.

“Woah, woah, woah, I’m not gonna let you eat me.” She yelled, scrambling for the gun she’d just dropped. The woman was on her before she could even grab it. She threw Valerie over her shoulder like a rag doll, and headed for her ship. Valerie shrieked. She struggled against her captor, grasping for anything to help her. Valerie reached behind her and grabbed a fistful of the woman’s hair, and yanked it backwards. The momentum was enough to loosen the woman’s grip on her legs, and Valerie slid down enough to elbow her square in the nose. She fell to the ground, and the woman laughed. She touched her nose and her fingers came back bloody, and Valerie silently cheered. If she didn’t know how to fight after growing up in Brooklyn, she might as well move to Ohio.

“That’s cute.” The woman smirked at her. Valerie scrambled to her legs. “I thought we could do this the easy way, but you’re really gonna make me do it, huh?” She tossed a small metal disc at Valerie, and it stuck to her neck painfully.

“What the-” Electric currents cut her off. She dropped to the ground, convulsing. The woman stepped over her, the controller in her hand. “I always win.” She said. Valerie registered being thrown over the woman’s shoulder again, and blacked out.

\--

When Valerie came to, she was lying on the floor of a spaceship. She groaned and touched her head. She looked up to see her captor sitting above her, piloting the ship. She looked down at Valerie, and pulled the controller out of her pocket.

“Wait! I won’t move I promise, just please don’t shock me!” Valerie pleaded. The woman looked down at her, eyes doubting, but she put the controller back in her pocket. 

“You so much as scratch your ass, you’re getting shocked. Don’t try anything.” She said, staring straight ahead. Valerie sighed in relief.

“What do I call you?” She asked. The woman stared straight ahead still. “Scrapper 142 will do just fine.” 

“Scrapper 142 it is.” Valerie said. “Tell me Scrapper 142, what are you exactly? Ravu called you Asgardian. Do you know anything about Loki? Do you know anything about the invasion?” Valerie rattled off questions, entering journalist mode.

“You ask too many questions.” Scrapper 142 glared down at her and picked up the controller. Valerie convulsed back into unconsciousness.


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valerie meets the Grandmaster and resigns herself to her fate.

“Valerie, dear, come closer so I can get a good look at you.” 

The Valerie in question reluctantly complied. She stepped closer to the Grandmaster, chin held stubbornly high and eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

“You are really something, you know that? Boy, we’ve don’t get a lot of humans in here and I am just so excited that you dropped in. We’re gonna have to get you a new wardrobe though, this drab outfit is just not… exciting. Too much coverage, not enough gold!” The Grandmaster circled Valerie in his chair, the look on his face not unlike a human child on Christmas morning.  
Valerie looked down at her tailored pants and blouse and frowned. She thought this outfit was pretty damn good when she picked it out this morning, but Earth somehow called for less extravagance than a garbage planet of all places, she guessed. Everyone in the room was silent as the Grandmaster sat in his chair, sizing her up. Valerie took the opportunity to survey her surroundings. 

The Grandmaster sat in a golden chair, essentially the throne. A tall, stocky woman with a thick band of white markings down the middle of her face stood to the Grandmaster’s right. She held a staff that was nearly the same height as she was, gold with a large orange sphere embedded in the top. To the left stood a woman Valerie felt like she knew, but couldn’t quite place. Her forehead throbbed and it was difficult for her to remember anything at the moment. The woman to the Grandmaster’s left stood tall, proud, and intimidatingly attractive. Valerie furrowed her brows.

“Topaz, give 142 here what she wants,” The Grandmaster waved his hand at the woman standing to his left, who Valerie immediately remembered was Scrapper 142. 142 smirked at her. Valerie glared back.

“She isn’t a fighter, why are you even paying her? She’s useless, look at her. Humans don’t last more than a week normally.” Topaz said with absolutely no emotion or infection in her voice. She tightened her grip on the melt stick, and Valerie got the sense that Topaz wanted to bash her head in with it.

“Your majesty, if I may.” 142 stepped forward, placing a hand on the Grandmaster’s shoulder. He blushed at the contact and looked up at her. She walked past him and towards Valerie, eyes raking over her, assessing, analyzing. 

“She’s tougher than you think, she put up a worthy fight when I brought her in.” 142 started, circling her. Oh yeah, Valerie thought. I do remember fighting her. That’s why I’m so sore.

“She’s smart, beautiful, and she’ll be great company. I think she’ll fit in nicely as a companion.” Valerie felt her cheeks grow hot at 142’s description of her.

“There’s nothing you love more than a show, and I assure you your majesty, she’ll put on a good one.” She looked at Valerie with those last few words, eyes sending a silent message. Do what I say. You’ll regret it if you don’t.

“You make a compelling point, 142. You’re never wrong about these things. Topaz, transfer this glorious woman her payment.” The Grandmaster ordered. 142 smirked. Topaz rolled her eyes and pressed a button on her device. 

Valerie’s eyes widened. “Wait a damn second, I’m not gonna be your sex slave! I need to get back to Earth, I’m not supposed to be here!” Valerie suddenly gained back her confidence. The Grandmaster chuckled and looked at her with mirth in his weirdly intense eyes.

“Valerie darling, of course you’re supposed to be here. You have a purpose now, one that I’m sure is better than being a, uh, garbage collector or whatever it is you did back on Earth.” He gestured at her clothing, and her mouth dropped in indignation.

“You’re not a-a, what did you call it? Sex slave? Eugh, I don’t like that word.” The Grandmaster turned to Topaz with a disgusted look on his face. She shook her head disapprovingly. “You’re one of my companions, I’m allowing you to live in luxury among my other companions and friends, you should be thanking me! Let me tell you this, Little Miss Garbage Collector, you will not be forced to do anything you don’t want to do.” The Grandmaster stood out of his chair and approached Valerie, and she struggled to hold her composure. “But I promise you,” He winked. “You’ll want to.” 

His words eased her worries a little, but she still didn’t like the situation. 142 walked forward to leave the throne room, holding eye contact with Valerie. 

“No one leaves Sakaar. The sooner you get that through your thick skull, the better off you’ll be.” She said. Valerie turned to watch her leave. She didn’t know much of anything about Sakaar or the people here, but Scrapper 142 was Asgardian. And just maybe, she had information about the attack on New York.

The snap of the Grandmaster’s fingers brought her attention back to the front of the room. “Can someone show our newest guest to her room? And maybe some new clothes? I don’t know much about fashion trends on Earth these days, but I don’t like it. Not one bit.” 

A man with purple skin, purple clothes, and the strangest arrangement of headpieces Valerie had ever seen walked into the throne room, accompanied by a woman who looked almost human save for the smattering of reddish brown feathers along her neck and collarbone. They walked towards her, and Valerie fought the urge to flee in the other direction. 

As they ushered her out of the throne room, she stole a glance back at the Grandmaster. He waggled his fingers at her and winked. Valerie whipped her head back forward. The two people accompanying her, who Valerie eloquently dubbed ‘Purple Boy’ and ‘Bird Girl’, each had a hand on her back. They were steady hands, almost gentle, but demanding. This whole place gave off that vibe to Valerie. Not too threatening, pleasant and exciting on the surface, but with an underlying threat to those who would defect or rebel.

A long walk down many confusing hallways later, Purple Boy and Bird Girl silently guided Valerie into a room she assumed was to be hers. As looked around the room, her mouth fell open. The room was garish white with blue paneling, and it was at least three times as big as her NYC apartment. In the back she saw several ridiculously large beds, and a shelf full of large bottles of amber liquid. A lounge area sat off to the left side, littered with fuzzy white rugs and oddly shaped couches and chairs. Off to the right, a huge vanity and an enormous closet loomed. It reminded Valerie of a Broadway dressing room almost. In the center of the room was a sunken pool, akin to a reflecting pool but very obviously meant for use. It was circular and about twenty square feet wide.

At this point, Valerie had realized this was some sort of group room. It reminded her of a harem, and her stomach sank. This room would accommodate at least five people, and she sighed in disappointment, realizing that she wouldn’t have any privacy. Purple Boy and Bird Girl finally spoke.

“This is where you’ll stay. The other girls are out right now, but you’ll be Number Eight.” Bird Girl spoke softly. Her voice was fragile, and she spoke with a slight accent that Valerie couldn’t quite place.

“I’m sorry, Number Eight? What does that mean exactly?” Valerie turned to face her.

“This place is organized by numbers. Each room holds eight companions. This is the Blue Room, and you’re Number Eight. That’s how you’ll be mostly addressed, but the Grandmaster likes to use names.” Purple Boy butted in. His voice was deeper than she’d expected, and he spoke as though he were reciting from a script.

“So what do I call you?” Valerie asked. Purple Boy’s head tilted much like a dog’s.

“I am Number Four from the Purple Room.” He spoke. He extended his hand, and Valerie took it. She started a handshake, but he brought her hand up to his lips and pressed them softly to her knuckles. Her face flushed. 

“What’s your real name?” Valerie choked out. Number Four’s eyes darkened and his previously charming demeanor turned sour.

“I don’t use it. You don’t need to know.” He retracted his hand from Valerie’s grasp. He turned on his heel and left the room. Valerie turned to Bird Girl in confusion.

“Don’t mind him.” She said, sadness behind her eyes. “I’m Number Seven, I’m in the Blue Room with you.” 

“Do you mind if I ask your real name?” Valerie asked hesitantly.

“It’s Zavra.” She smiled up at Valerie. “Most of the girls in our room use each other’s real names. I’ll introduce you to them later. Right now, we’re going to get you new clothes.”

Zavra ushered her towards the large closet. Valerie wasn’t completely opposed to a wardrobe change, as her current outfit had been pretty thoroughly trashed. Zavra guided Valerie to a raised circular platform near the wardrobe, and began rifling through racks full of colorful clothes. Valerie stood on the platform, unsure of how to stand or what to do. A few awkwardly long minutes later, Zavra emerged from the closet with an armful of deep green clothing. Valerie hummed.

“Is that like...my color now?” Valerie questioned. Zavra hummed, and kept digging through the pile of clothing. Valerie shrugged to herself. Zavra pulled out a bright green monstrosity of a dress with ludicrous amounts of ruffles. She looked up at Valerie expectantly. 

“Oh.. Do you want me to-” “Yes.” Zavra cut her off. Valerie hesitantly began to undress down to her underwear. She threw her previously ironed dress pants and dirt stained white blouse to the floor, and shrugged off her boots and socks. Zavra helped her get the dress over her shoulders with a little bit of difficulty. Valerie looked in the mirror and almost scared herself. 

The dress looked like the worst possible outcome of a Project Runway challenge involving boob cutouts and ruffles. The front of the dress featured a large circular chest cutout that left Valerie scrambling to cover her cleavage with her hands, and rose up nearly to Valerie’s chin. It gripped her waist far to tightly, and gushed out in layers of bright red ruffles.

“Can you maybe pick another one that’s not so… large and revealing?” Valerie said. Zavra chuckled and nodded. Valerie eagerly threw the dress over her head and to the ground. Zavra repeated this process five more times with similar amounts of disgust from Valerie. The reject pile notably featured a completely clear latex top, a dress that had a large hole wear Valerie imagined a tail would go, and a garment that can only be described as a perfectly spherical bubble with armholes.

Thirty minutes later, Zavra and Valerie finally agreed on a winner. The dress was actually quite beautiful, Valerie thought. It looked like something off of a high fashion runway on Earth. It was an emerald green colored v-neck, with a delicately embroidered loose bodice that was slightly revealing, but still left Valerie comfortable. It cinched her in at the waist, and flowed down to her toes gently. Valerie imagined she’d get tired of it eventually, but she took it in with awe for the moment. She might be stuck on this planet, but she might as well enjoy what she can.

“You’re sure about this one? You won’t get another one and I won’t let you change your mind later.” Zavra sighed.

“This is the only one you’ve shown me that doesn’t make me want to tear my hair out.” Valerie laughed. “I actually like it quite a bit.” She smiled. She stepped down from the platform and tugged on the silver slippers Zavra had picked out. She silently thanked the powers that be that she didn’t have to wear heels.

Zavra sat her down at the vanity and began brushing out Valerie’s hair with her fingers. Valerie closed her eyes in relaxation for the first time in 24 hours. She let Zavra play around with her hair, eventually twisting it into a low bun at the base of her neck. The top front portion of her hair was pulled into a flashy braid streaming down the center of her head, and it almost reminded Valerie of a mohawk. She stood up from the chair and smiled at Zavra.

“I’ll show you around later. The Grandmaster wants to see you.” Zavra pulled Valerie along towards the door. Valerie’s stomach dropped to her toes. 

As Zavra led Valerie through the maze of hallways, she became increasingly anxious. She’d heard about some fucked up alien stuff happening on Earth in the past few years, but none of it had even come close to the situation she’d found herself in. She’d been cataloguing alien or superpower related events for years since the Battle of New York, looking for anything pointing to an explanation, but they all paled in comparison. All of the SHIELD red tape and leaked cover ups she’d found seemed so simple and irrelevant now. Superheroes duking it out across half of Manhattan? Trivial. The Sekovian incident? Boring? Some kid with crazy abilities catching petty criminals in his pajamas? Hardly relevant.

She didn’t know if she’d ever get back home again. She might be stuck on this garbage planet until she got old and died, or worse, the Grandmaster got tired of her. She didn’t want to think about what she’d have to do to get by. She didn’t want to think about spending the rest of her life surrounded by aliens and unfamiliar surroundings and sadness. She trudged along beside Zavra regardless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys! i promise loki will show up soon, the first two or so chapters are gonna be exposition and Valerie getting cemented into Sakaar before Loki shows up. be patient, it'll all be worth it! please tell me if i got the Grandmaster right, i tried to capture all of his Goldblumy-ness. ALSO: if you'd prefer to read this as a Loki/Reader, I've started publishing a reader version of Journalistic Intuition, so check it out!


	3. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valerie has a nightmare. A new friend comforts her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys! thank you so much for reading this. this is the last loki-less chapter, i promise!! i just needed to make sure some things were out there before i introduced him. ok anyways, enjoy

The next several hours went by surprisingly fast for Valerie. She’d been offered a glass of sweet-smelling alcohol upon arriving at the party, and she downed at least three more after finishing the first in five minutes. The party was a brightly colored blur in her mind, and she had vague memories of meeting several people that she wouldn’t remember in the morning. She hadn’t been this drunk in several years, and she had to admit, it felt nice to let loose for once.

Valerie stumbled over to a couch in the corner, and curled up into the arm. Scrapper 142 sat on the other side of the couch, silently watching the party. Her attention snapped to Valerie, somehow fast asleep and snoring despite the noise. 142 looked at her, back at the party, and let out an annoyed sigh. She scooped Valerie up bridal style with little to no effort, and Valerie remained unconscious. 

She dumped Valerie onto an unoccupied bed in the back of the Blue Room, and turned to leave. A hand wrapped around her wrist stopped her. 142 looked back at Valerie, who was now awake.

“Why’d you do that for me?” Valerie questioned. She looked intently up at 142, who wriggled her wrist out of Valerie’s grasp and scowled. 

“Don’t ask stupid questions. Go back to sleep.” 142 huffed. Valerie frowned.

“Tell me your real name,” She asked earnestly. 142 laughed in annoyance and clasped her hands behind her neck.

“If I tell you, will you leave me the fuck alone?” She said. Valerie’s eyes grew wide, and she nodded fervently.

“It’s Brunnhilde. But if I hear you call me that in front of anyone I’ll rip your spine out your asshole.” She looked at the wall behind Valerie, avoiding meeting her gaze. 

“Brunnhilde,” Valerie repeated it to herself and smiled. “Nice to meet you, Brunnhilde.” She glared at Valerie and turned to leave the room. Valerie laid back in the bed, staring at the ceiling. The events of the past few days ran through her mind, and she tried her best to make sense of them through the haze of alcohol clouding her thoughts. 

She got a text from the anonymous source who’d been tipping her off on a lead. There had been an increase in homeless disappearances, and the police had neglected to look into it, so Valerie had taken it upon herself to investigate. Multiple witnesses had reported a figure in all black walking up and down the alleys, and one of them had seen a partial abduction. The figure in black had gotten a homeless woman alone, and a witness down the block saw a flash of blue light. When the witness ran over to investigate, both the woman and the figure in black were gone.

When Valerie had followed up on the tip, who she strongly suspected was actually the figure in black, she’d seen a blue light too, and then she’d ended up here. So maybe the figure in black was just... randomly transporting homeless people to different planets? There were too many questions for Valerie’s drunk mind to sort out right now, so she moved on to the other issue at hand. Brunnhilde. Brunnhilde the Asgardian.

It was a long shot, but maybe she had information on the Battle of New York. At the very least, she had information about Loki. Brunnhilde had made it clear that she didn’t want to answer any of Valerie’s questions, but she no longer feared that she’d actually hurt her. In fact, the Asgardian seemed to have a soft spot for her.  
Valerie gave in to the pressure behind her eyes and drifted back to sleep. 

\----

A few hours later, Valerie woke in a cold sweat, tears staining her face. Her chest heaved, and she clutched at the blankets around her to ground herself to reality. A sob spilled out of her mouth, and she buried her head in her lap in an effort to contain it.

The girl in the bed next to Valerie woke up, startled, then made her way over to Valerie once she heard the muffled sobs. She sat down next to her and touched her back gently.

“Are you okay?” she asked. Valerie looked up, remnants of yesterday’s mascara smeared across her cheeks. The girl on Valerie’s bed furrowed her brows in concern and smoothed a hand over the other girl’s hair. Valerie nodded, unable to get any words out yet.

“I’m Number Two, but you can call me daMinn.” she spoke quietly as to not wake up the other girls. Valerie looked at daMinn, familiarizing herself with her appearance. She had a deep brown complexion and big brown eyes, framed by extremely long box braids that had been dyed blue. Valerie could tell that her lips had been painted blue the night before. The only telltale sign that she wasn’t human was the slight glow coming from her fingertips. After a few moments, she regained her voice.

“I’m Valerie. I’m Number Eight, I guess.” She straightened up and crossed her legs. “I’m sorry I woke you up.”

“Don’t worry about it. I had nightmares when I first got here. It’s pretty common.” Valerie let out a small laugh. 

“I haven’t had that nightmare in two years.” Valerie ran her hands through her hair. “I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised I’m having it now.”

“Do you mind telling me what it was? I’ve found talking about it helps you process it.” daMinn asked. Valerie sighed.

“I guess it can’t hurt.” She smiled at daMinn.

“It’s about my sister. She died a few years ago.” Valerie said, her voice small and shaky. “Back on Earth, there was an attack in the city we lived in. Aliens came, and they fought with a bunch of people called the Avengers who have super powers. That’s all relative to you, though, I guess.” Valerie said. 

“I’m from a planet that has relations with many other ones. I know the term alien now, but there was no such word on my home planet.” daMinn replied.

“What planet are you from, if you don’t mind me asking?” Valerie said. daMinn nodded.

“I’m from a planet called Majesdane. I imagine it’s still doing fine, but we have very sparing relations with Earth.” daMinn shrugged.

“I’ve never heard of it, so that’s probably right.” Valerie guessed.

“Continue with your dream, we can discuss our home planets at a later time.” daMinn urged her. Valerie nodded.

“My sister and I were in the middle of the city when it happened. We were down there shopping and we’d gone to see a musical.” Valerie laughed through her tears. “It was called ‘The Book of Mormon’. She’d been begging me to take her for months.” daMinn rested a hand on Valerie’s shoulder to comfort her.

“In the attack, there were these huge monsters that flew around and knocked into buildings. My sister and I had gone into a building for shelter, and one of those things hit it. We were on the third floor, in the corner, and I was about ten feet away from her, trying to call our mom. I saw the thing coming towards the building and... I-I yelled for her to get away from the windows.” Valerie broke down. daMinn pulled her into a hug, and Valerie sobbed into daMinn’s shoulder for a few minutes until she calmed down. 

“You don’t need to keep going.” daMinn assured Valerie. She shook her head.

“No, I need to finish.” Valerie took a deep breath and continued. “My nightmare always ends there. One minute she’s there, and the next she’s just… gone. We never found her body, and we buried an empty casket. She was only sixteen, and her life just ended right there. She never got to grow up.” Valerie’s voice hardened, and her nails dug half moons into her palms. “It was all his fault. He killed my sister.”

“Who did?” daMinn asked.

“Loki. His name is Loki.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GASp!!! so now we know why Valerie hates Loki! also this chapter was gayyyy
> 
> so i snuck a few references in here. one, the book of mormon bc its one of my favorite musicals. two, daMinn is from a planet called Majesdane, which is actually a planet in the MCU, albeit an obscure one. if any of you watch Marvel's Runaways, Karolina is actually a Majesdanian. I mean technically, Jonah is the only one from Majesdane, but Karolina is half Majesdanian by blood. In the comics, she's full Majesdanian, and Majesdane itself plays a much bigger role. but who knows, maybe it will in coming episodes. Anyways, I'm planning on making most of my side and background characters from planets within Marvel canon, bc i like being accurate and nerdy. Zavra and Number Four were unfortunately created before I had the idea, but the rest of my original characters will be from planets within Marvel canon. Five points to the person who guesses where the next one is from!


	4. IV

The next two weeks went by without any major incident, and Valerie fell into a decently monotonous routine. She’d wake up, lounge around the Blue Room, and eventually leave to go to wherever the party was happening that day. She’d talk to new people, listen to their stories of their home planets and their species, and tell her own. The Grandmaster would make passes at her in a strange, vague, roundabout way, and she’d ignore them for the most part. She’d been propositioned by several aliens, but everyone here was surprisingly very respectful of her wishes to abstain from spaceship orgies. She’d get drunk every few days, and Brunnhilde would carry her back to the Blue Room. She’d been unable to get any information out of her, and was beginning to think she genuinely knew nothing.

The only notable occurrence happened about a week in. The Grandmaster had been urging her to come watch the Contest of Champions, which apparently was the big thing here. She had no desire to go, and up until that point, she’d declined to sit alone in the Blue Room and write. However, this time was different. Valerie wouldn’t admit to herself the real reason why she’d given in that day, but deep down she knew it was because Brunnhilde offered to take her in her ship instead of leaving her with the Grandmaster and his entourage.

It went how most of Valerie and Brunnhilde’s interactions went. Brunnhilde was already drunk yet twice as capable as Valerie when sober. Valerie asked her questions, Brunnhilde threatened to use the shock chip (a threat that she had not once followed through on). Valerie got bored and also got drunk.

Brunnhilde sat on the edge of her ship’s platform, feet dangling dangerously above the stadium below. Valerie was not quite so brave, and instead designated the pilot’s chair as her viewing seat of choice. She had used the seat belt as a precautionary measure, something that Brunnhilde had never done even when flying. She had no doubts that if the Asgardian fell off the ship and landed a thousand feet below, she’d get right back up and chug another bottle of alcohol. As a human, Valerie was much more breakable.

Small flying machines projected a stories-high hologram of the Grandmaster as opened the ceremony. Valerie had to admit, all of this alien technology was quite fascinating and impressive. She’d been trying to look on the bright side of her predicament, and this was definitely part of it. She doubted most people on Earth would get to see technology this advanced, let alone travel to a different planet and meet so many other species. Sakaar may be a lawless, garbage-filled, wasteland, but damn if it wasn’t cool.

The first five or so rounds were almost painful to watch. It was, in its essence, an alien incarnation of Roman gladiators. It didn’t help that the jumbo screens were so detailed and high quality. Valerie tried to distract herself by fiddling around with Brunnhilde’s ship, which earned her a bottle thrown a little too close to her head.

About an hour in to the contest, the contenders started getting bigger and more powerful. Some of the aliens that stepped into the ring truly frightened her, and although they were both in varying forms of enslavement, Valerie was glad that they were down there and she was up in the ship, (relatively) safe. 

“Hey Valerie, he’s about to come out.” Brunnhilde called from the front of the ship. 

“Sorry, who?” Valerie asked. 

“The Grandmaster’s Champion. The one I train?” She replied. Valerie vaguely remembered Brunnhilde mentioning that to her a few days ago.

“Oh” Valerie replied. She didn’t know how to feel about it, so she just wouldn’t. She imagined that this champion would have to be ridiculously massive and strong based on the contenders she’d seen so far. She laughed imagining Brunnhilde trying to train an alien the size of a skyscraper. Sure enough, a few minutes later, the Grandmaster’s hologram flashed to life in the arena, announcing the battle of the night. The Grandmaster went into a whole spiel about the Champion that seemed to go on forever. Valerie perked up when he seemed to be nearing the actual arrival of the Champion.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the powerful, the terrifying, Incredible Hulk!” The release gate smashed open, and a large, green, man bounded into the arena. Splashes of green powder filled the air, green streamers streaked across the crowds, and chants of ‘Hulk’ filled the sky. Valerie blinked.

“Holy shit.” She unbuckled herself and walked towards the edge of the ship.

“I know right? He’s massive!” Brunnhilde laughed. Valerie waved a hand in her face.

“I know him. I know him! That’s Bruce Banner, he’s an Avenger! He’s from Earth!” Valerie yelled, eyes wide and a manic grin spreading across her face.

“That shithead is from Earth? I mean he wouldn’t tell us anything, but that’s the last planet I would’ve guessed.” Brunnhilde snorted.

“No, he’s a scientist! He only looks like that when he’s like… mad or something. He’s human, I promise! He hasn’t changed back at all around anyone?” Valerie asked, not able to tear her eyes away from the closest thing she’d seen to a way off of Sakaar.

“He always looks like that.” Brunnhilde shrugged. Valerie sat on the edge of the ship for the rest of the fight, unable to look away from the Hulk even as he… smashed. Later that night, on the way back to the Blue Room, she’d asked Brunnhilde to let her talk to him. She snuck Valerie past the guards into the Champion’s chambers with a little convincing.

Brunnhilde waltzed into the room, and Valerie followed shortly behind, terrified but too high on the idea of escaping to care. 

“Hey big guy!” Brunnhilde called out. Hulk sat on an enormous bed, laying on his back. He sat up at the sound of her voice.

“Hey big girl!” His voice boomed out through the room. Valerie stood there gaping. 

“I wanna introduce you to my friend, Valerie.” Brunnhilde waved a hand at her, and she forced her legs to move forward towards Hulk. She put her arm out for a handshake, then quickly decided against it and put it down.

“Hi, um, Hulk. I’m Valerie.” She waved at him. He waved back. “Hi, Valerie.” 

His voice had the same quality of intonation as a kindergartener greeting his teacher.

“I wanted to ask you a few questions, would that be okay?” Valerie asked gently. Hulk nodded. 

“I’m from Earth. Do you remember Earth?” She asked him gently. He frowned and grunted.

“Earth no like Hulk.” He huffed out. 

“No, we do! Earth does like Hulk. I like Hulk.” Valerie assured him. Hulk’s eyebrows perked up.

“You mean it?” He asked, sounding genuinely hopeful.

“Yes, of course I mean it. You helped save Earth, more than once!” Valerie smiled at him. Hulk smiled back, and Valerie felt sorry for him. He clearly hadn’t been Bruce Banner for a while, and he probably hadn’t even attempted to go home because he didn’t think he’d be wanted.

“Hulk, has Bruce been here at all?” Valerie asked. Hulk’s building trust in her quickly vanished.

“No! No Banner! Only Hulk!” He yelled, retreated to his bed angrily. Valerie flinched at the change in volume. Brunnhilde stepped forward and placed a hand on Valerie’s shoulder.

“I think it’s time to go.” She said quietly. Valerie frowned, but complied. Maybe over time, she’d be able to gain Hulk’s trust enough to help him change back, but he was a lost cause at this point. She sighed as she felt her chances of getting home slipping out of her grasp once again.

The next week dragged on, a whirlwind of loud parties and alcohol and nights spent alone in the Blue Room. She’d met the rest of the Blue Room companions, her favorites of which remained Zavra and daMinn. The others were an eclectic assortment of girls of wildly varying appearances and backgrounds, which Valerie was very interested in, and kept profiles and details of her fellow companions in the notebook she’d managed to get a hold of. Valerie imagined that if she ever got back to Earth, she could write a whole string of books on her experiences and observations. She was, after all, a journalist through and through. 

Number One was Yana, a quiet Kree girl. Yana had declined to give Valerie any details beyond her race, and Valerie didn’t want to pry, so she left it at that. Yana had light blue skin, the color of a robin’s egg, and short, jet black hair. Valerie only knew the short description of the Kree that Brunnhilde had given her, which was not much to go off of, but Kree were apparently about as strong as Asgardians.

Number Two was daMinn, who Valerie had grown fairly close to. The two exchanged stories of their home planets, and daMinn was always there to help Valerie recover from her nightmares.

Numbers Three and Four were twin sisters from a planet called Xandar. Tullak and Hallak had pink skin, dark auburn hair, and raised lines along their cheeks. They kept to themselves mostly, only seeming to talk to others when participating in the Grandmaster’s private parties, which Valerie had thus far declined to attend.

Number Five was Jentorra from a planet called K’aia. She was at least six feet tall, with green skin and lengthy golden hair. She was incredibly strong, more so than Brunnhilde. She was surprisingly very warm and affectionate, and often swept Valerie up in bone-crushing hugs.

Number Six was the most puzzling of all. She never spoke or made any effort to communicate, and Valerie wasn’t sure she could. She was on the taller side, and had deep purple skin that seemed to catch the light. She had no hair, but instead two long antennae stemming from her brow bone. Brunnhilde had guessed that Number Seven was a Chameloid, a shapeshifter. Valerie had tried to find out more, but no one really knew.

Number Seven was Zavra, who Valerie discovered had no memory of her life before Sakaar. Brunnhilde was unable to identify her species, but she imagined there were so many that there was no way to know all of them. 

Valerie had not run into Number Four since her first day, and she had the suspicion he was avoiding her. She couldn’t really blame him, and she wasn’t going to force him to talk to her.

Lost in her thoughts, Valerie sat on her bed, reviewing her notes. It was her third week on Sakaar, and she’d been distracting herself by looking at the ordeal from a journalistic perspective. She’d already filled two notebooks and was well into her third. Valerie hummed to herself as she wrote, not noticing Yana entering the room. Yana cleared her throat to gain Valerie’s attention.

“Number Eight, the Grandmaster has requested your presence at the party.” she said. Valerie sighed, and snapped her notebook shut.

“Any reason for this request?” Valerie tugged her shoes on and went to fix her hair in the mirror. Yana tapped her foot impatiently.

“A new and esteemed guest has arrived and gained the Grandmaster’s favor, and somehow the Grandmaster considers you one of his most noteworthy companions. You are to be introduced to him.” she replied curtly. The disdain and sarcasm in her voice was overwhelmingly evident. Valerie rolled her eyes. A few moments later, she gave up hope trying to fix her unruly hair, and followed Yana to the party. 

As they approached the party, Valerie could hear the Grandmaster’s voice echoing throughout the room, just finishing up introducing a man named Borzo, who she recalled built spaceships, mostly for the Grandmaster. Upon entering the room, someone handed Valerie a glass full of alcohol, the sweet smelling kind she was partial to. She sipped it as Yana led her through the crowd towards the front of the room.

“Now I’d like to introduce one of my companions, and I think you’re really gonna like her. She’s from Earth! We don’t get a lot of those around here, and she’s pretty similar to the ladies I imagine you’re used to, Mr. High and Mighty Asgardian.” The Grandmaster started to introduce Valerie before she’d made it to the front. Her ears perked up at the mention of Asgardians, and she shoved her way through, anxious to meet the new guest. She finally shoved through the front of the crowd, and as her eyes fell on him, she froze.

“Valerie! I’d like you to meet Loki. I really think you guys are gonna hit it off, and I’d do anything to get you out of that shell of yours.” The Grandmaster laughed. Valerie stood in her place, unable to move, staring at the man who killed her sister. Loki stood, dressed in blue and black leather, with a gentle and friendly smile on his face. Valerie dropped her glass, and it shattered at her feet. A look of confusion appeared on Loki and the Grandmaster’s faces, and before they could say anything, Valerie turned and bolted through the crowd out of the room.

Valerie rushed into the hallway and slammed her back against the wall. Her face was hot, and tears threatened to spill down her face. Of all of the people to show up here, it was him. She’d spent all this time trying to find him and make him pay for what he’d done, but now that he was here all she could do was sit there, paralyzed with fear. She planted her arms firmly on the ground on either side of her knees, and regained her breath. She heard the Grandmaster and Loki approaching, and in a moment of unfounded courageousness, stood up and blocked the exit. The Grandmaster shot her a confused glance, but she didn’t notice. Valerie’s attention were on Loki and Loki only, glaring at him with years of pent up rage burning in her eyes. Loki looked bored.

“Look, I’m not sure what that scene was about, but I’ve had a long journey and I’d like to retire for the night. Please move.” Loki said plainly. Valerie didn’t move a muscle.

“I’m not sure you understand the situation. I am a king, and I command that you move.” He demanded.

“I know who you are.” Valerie spat.

“I seriously doubt that.” Loki replied, his brows furrowed in confusion. Valerie stepped forward, and Loki stepped back.

“You’re Loki. You destroyed New York. I’ve been trying to track you for years.” she continued, her voice raising slightly. 

“Look, I don’t know if you’re some sort of bounty hunter or SHIELD agent, but the events of New York are in my past, and I owe you no apology. Now may I please pass?” Loki folded his arms condescendingly. Valerie’s eyes closed in anger, and her fists tightened into balls.

“I don’t want an apology from you, I want retribution.” Her voice grew louder, attracting the attention of nearby partygoers.

“Whatever personal feelings you may have that you feel entitle you to anything from me are no concern of mine. The mere insinuation that some weak mortal would even have the means to inflict punishment upon me is laughable, quite frankly. I will not stand here and listen to a disgruntled bystander and her ramblings, now move.” Loki ordered. The next moment seemed to go by in slow motion for Valerie. She wound up her fist, let out a cry of anger, and punched Loki’s face as hard as she could. 

Gasps rang out throughout the room, and then the whole crowd fell silent. Loki stumbled backwards, shock on his face. Valerie’s chest heaved, adrenaline rushing through her.

“You killed my sister.”

The room stood still for a moment, and everyone’s attention remained on Valerie, shock on their faces. The Grandmaster snapped his fingers, and two monstrous guards came forward and grabbed Valerie roughly by the arms. She didn’t say a word as the escorted her out of the room and down the halls. If she was going to be executed for that one moment of justice, then so be it. She didn’t want to spend the rest of her life as a prisoner on this god forsaken planet anyways.

The guards shoved her out of the elevator, and dragged her along down a dimly lit and un-decorated hallway. She assumed it was the Grandmaster’s prison or something. They passed a long row of cells filled with prisoners, none of which she recognized. She did notice that none of them were companions or the sort of people that came to the Grandmaster’s parties. The guards threw her roughly into a cell, and pressed a button on the wall outside. A forcefield of some kind flashed in the doorway, then disappeared. The guards left without a word, leaving Valerie alone in her cell.

She slumped down on the floor, coming to terms with the gravity of her actions. She began to cry. Valerie cried for Veronica, but this time, she also cried for herself.

**Author's Note:**

> please let me know what you guys think! i love Valkyrie with all my heart and i wanted her to be a big part of this fic. and yES i know Valerie and Valkyrie are super close, but I couldn't find any names i liked better and i'm just gonna have everyone call her either Scrapper 142 or her actual name, Brunnhilde. anywayyyys, the next chapter should be up within like a week, but the semester's about to start so we'll see.


End file.
